Effective application of spreadable substances, such as applying butter to hot corn, has been a problem for decades. The problem that exists with butter knives and hot corn was acknowledged as early as 1946 in U.S. Pat. No. 2,478,122 to Max N. Mossel: “the wasteful messiness of using a knife to apply the butter” (Col. 1, lines 13-14). Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,767 to Emil W. Von Knauf (“Von Knauf”): “the butter commences to melt and slide down the corn out of control of the butter knife” (Col. 1, lines 18-20).
This spreading problem is not limited to applying butter to hot corn. Difficulty in applying spreads to other surfaces—such as applying cream cheese to bagels or jam to bread—can occur when knives are used. For example, the use of a knife in these situations may result in clumpy or uneven distribution of a spreadable substance. In addition, the use of, for example, a pointed applicator for dispensing edible (e.g., honey) or non-edible (e.g., glue) spreadable substances may similarly result in uneven distribution, particularly where the applicator itself is impractical to use for spreading or the use of a knife would be impractical in the circumstances.
While various solutions for applying spreadable substances have been described in the prior art, such solutions are deficient in various ways.
Von Knauf discloses a spreading device for applying butter to hot corn. The Von Knauf device attempts to confine the butter as it is being applied and allows the user to manually press the butter towards the corn to facilitate spreading.
The device handle (3, 25) and the butter press (18, 30) are two separate features. Operation of the device is described as follows: “The operator, holding the spreader at the flange 3, can then press his finger at the center of the butter holder, thus pressing the flour flaps 18 downwardly and pressing the cardboard bottom 19 downwardly to force the butter into contact with the ear of corn” (Col. 2, lines 60-64). Such operation is disadvantageous in that a user would use one hand to perform multiple functions (i.e., fingers to hold the device and a finger to press at the butter holder), thus requiring a certain degree of coordination. In other words, a level of coordination is required to operate the device because the holding and pressing actions are controlled independently.
In addition, in order to confine the butter in the spreading device, Von Knauf employs tabs (12). The butter, or other spread, must be forced past the tabs and into the compartment (6) of the spreading device. However, given the tabs are moveable to allow movement of the butter (see Col. 2, lines 55-58), spreads such as butter may unintentionally leave the compartment during use. This may occur as a result of a user pressing on the butter holder to a sufficient degree so as to allow the butter to escape, either because the tabs moving outwardly and allow the butter to escape, or because the force applied to the butter holder is sufficient enough that the tabs 11 are insufficient to contain the butter, particularly since the tabs 12 only cover a limited surface area of the compartment. Alternatively, this may occur as a result of a spread being pressed towards a hot surface, the spread then melting, and tabs 12 no longer confining the spread within the compartment of the spreading device, even in cases where reduced or no force is applied to the butter holder, again recognizing that this problem is aggravated by the fact that the tabs 12 only cover a limited surface area of the compartment.
A “Butter Storing and Spreading Device” was disclosed in 1970 by Asad F. Isaf in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,873 (“Isaf”). The main object of Isaf is to effectively store a spreadable patty in a sanitary manner. This object is accomplished by placing a cover 24 over the spread. Before applying the spread, the cover is removed. With the cover removed and the spread ready for spreading, there is no feature to allow a user to press a finger or other structure against the butter, as there is a base (14) of heavy paper or cardboard between the butter and the device handles (22). This may result in less flexibility with respect to the manner in which the butter is spread. In addition, with the cover removed, there is no feature that confines the spread within the spreading device. Accordingly, the spread may not remain in place once the spreading device is inverted, or the spread may be more susceptible to separation from the spreading device.
A similar device to Isaf was disclosed by Ronald F. Reda in United States Patent Publication No. 2009/0148571 titled “Disposable Spreading Device for Edible Spreadable Compounds” (“Reda”). One difference between Isaf and Reda is that Reda discloses that the spread is fixed to the spreading device, such that the spread remains in place when the device is inverted.
However, Reda, like Isaf, does not include a feature to allow a user to press a finger or other structure against the butter, as there is a body (120/320) comprising a handle (110/310) such that a user would hold the handle with their fingers and slide the device along, for example, a cob of corn. This may result in less flexibility with respect to the manner in which the butter is spread.
In addition, Reda fails to disclose a container to enclose the spread when the device is in the storage configuration. Rather, Reda uses a protective paper (160/360) that does not cover the edges of the spread, which may result in contamination issues during distribution and storage. While Reda does disclose a method of packaging multiple spreading devices together, a method of packaging or storing a single spreading device in a sanitary fashion (e.g., in a completely enclosed fashion) is not disclosed.
An additional, alternative and/or improved spreading device is desirable.